The chamber at City Hall was packed with people and some were standing outside the room in the doorway.

Outlaw said during the mayoral race he talked to people throughout the city and he got one common message: Everyone loved the city “dearly.” He said his pastor reiterated that to him Tuesday and reminded him to be respectful and true to the leadership of the Board of Aldermen.

Aldermen Sabrina Bengel, who lost to Outlaw in the November mayoral runoff, left the board congratulating him and then saying she wished he would have contacted her and the other candidates in the race and asked how they could work together.

“To Mayor Outlaw, your dream has come true and may I offer my sincere congratulations and best wishes for a successful four-year term,” she said.

Bengel said she and Outlaw were close friends once, raising their children together and being there for one another during hard times with family issues and good times like when they both were elected to the Board of Aldermen in 2009.

“I remember the hundreds of phone calls we exchanged during those years, talking about making the city we both love better,” she said. “What happened? I guess it was politics because after being elected in 2009 something went wrong and to this day I will never understand why you chose the path you did. It is your right and for that I am sorry that a 33-year friendship has ended.”

Toward the end of her statement, there was an audible grumble in the audience.

Before her comments to Outlaw, Bengel thanked the people of Ward 1 for electing her to the Board of Aldermen four years ago. Ward 1 was the most diverse and challenging ward in the city with some of the richest and poorest neighborhoods that included a historical district, two waterfronts, the Housing Authority and business districts, she said.

For the last four years, Bengel said she had worked tirelessly to prepare for each meeting and know the issues. She said her decisions were never made with a political agenda, but were made in the best interest of New Bern and the majority of citizens.

“It was my hope that I would be part of the team four years ago that would work for this end and not a political end as it turned out,” Bengel said. “We did, however, accomplish many goals that I am proud to have been a part of.”

Page 2 of 3 - Some of those goals included improving the city’s fiscal health, making the city more personable and friendlier, improving transparency, restructuring the Housing Authority, working on the Renaissance Gateway Plan and providing 150 parking spaces downtown.

Bengel said it has been an honor working with city staff and a privilege working with Mike Epperson, city manager, and Bettis.

To the outgoing Board of Aldermen, Bengel said her intentions on the board were to do the right thing and make the city better and if some of the members didn’t believe that she was sorry.

“My hope is the ‘gotcha politics’ will change in the coming term and you will openly discuss your concerns and issues instead of going behind closed doors with rumors and innuendoes…,” she said.

In outgoing Alderman Denny Bucher’s final statement, he said family and friends used to ask him if he enjoyed his time as a New Bern alderman.

“I don’t think ‘enjoying’ is the correct word,” Bucher said. “There were times when it was most enjoyable. But there were also times when it was frustrating — lots of those; a bunch of times when it was satisfying, and we accomplished a lot of our goals.”

Bucher said he was glad he had the experience as an alderman for Ward 3.

“It was a piece of cake compared to the First Ward,” he said. “I was glad I had the opportunity to see how our government works, or in some cases, it doesn’t work. It is a lot different than business. There are many parallels, but there are also many differences.”

In business, you decided what you want to do and do it, unlike government where you have to vote over and over to accomplish something, Bucher said.

“It can be frustrating at times,” he said. “But I did my best to try to always vote and serve in a way that was best for the city of New Bern — the city I love.”

Bucher wished the best for Outlaw and the new board and was sure they would serve the city in an honorable way.

Bettis read proclamations as his final gesture as mayor, praising city staff and Epperson, whose last Board of Aldermen meeting also was Tuesday before his resignation takes effect Dec. 30. Bettis called the staff and Epperson “a dream team” that helped move the city forward for the past four years.

Bettis’ proclamation to Bucher pronounced him an esteemed and honored citizen of New Bern, and he also proclaimed Bengel and her family honored citizens of New Bern.

The last proclamation Bettis bestowed went to his wife Nicole, who he married during his first year as mayor. He thanked her for her support and direction and proclaimed Dec. 10 Nicole Leigh Bettis Day.

Page 3 of 3 - Bettis also pulled minutes from past Board of Aldermen meetings that date back to 1797, and said the Tuesday night meeting would become a part of that legacy and the board needed to be aware of that.

The last four years were “absolutely transformational,” Bettis said. “…We didn’t always get along. But we did exactly what democracy is there for.”

Bettis said the changing of the Board of Aldermen and mayor was a “bloodless revolution” unique to America that happens every four years.

“There’s going to be winners and there is going to be losers and there’s going to be a change of ideologies,” he said. “Dana has a different ideology from me, and I had a different ideology than my predecessor, and that’s OK.”

A change of ideology creates fear, nervousness and anxiety, but doesn’t have to, Bettis said.

“Dana is going to come in with new ideas and it’s going to be fearful,” he said. “I came in with new ideas and it scared the hell out of lot of people.”

During the next four years, Bettis said everyone should “agree to disagree with respect” and treat Outlaw with the respect his office is due.